Salloos

The menu at Salloos is authentically Pakistani, and harks back to the Mughlai style of cooking. The Mughal kings ruled India before the British. It is Muslim cooking, that although influenced by the spices of the subcontinent has much I common with the food of Persia and Arabia. Spices can be fragrant such as saffron, coriander, mint, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves or strong like garlic, ginger or hot such as chili and paprika. The colourful list is endless. The complexity of different combinations of spices lends itself to the startling individuality of each dish.

Vegetarians are spoilt for choice. From delicate okra to comforting thick dhal (lentils). From sweet aubergine, to crisp vegetable kebabs to softly simmering chickpeas.

First course generally consists of meat of tender lamb or chicken, subtly spiced,cooked in the searing heat of the charcoal fired oven known as the tandoor, served with freshly baked Nan bread.

The Salloos signature dish, that keeps both customers and reviewers coming back are the Tandoori Chops, (chops of young, milk-fed tender lamb marinated in spices and herbs and barbecued in the Tandoor), and Chicken Karahi (a speciality from the Khyber: diced and de boned chicken, cooked with spices, tomatoes, chopped ginger, coriander and green chilies, served straight from the fire in an iron wok.)

Nargasi kofta (hard boiled eggs, coated with finely ground cooked pate, covered in gravy) is named after the Narcissus flower due to the yellow yolk and the surrounding white of the hard boiled egg. Gosht Khara Masala is lamb cooked with whole fragrant spices and julienne ginger.

The desserts range from the traditional like halwa, a warm crumbly carrot pudding covered with real silver leaf and sprinkled with almonds to the home made ice creams of rum, raisin and roast almonds or valrhona dark chocolate and amaretto.

The evening is ended with a perfect espresso and a selection of liquors.